API credentials hygiene: env vars, rotation, least privilege, auditability

PURPOSE

Audits and hardens API credential handling (env vars, separation, rotation plan, least privilege, auditability).

WHEN TO USE

• TRIGGERS:

- Harden the credentials setup for this integration and move secrets into env vars. - Design a key rotation plan for these APIs with minimal downtime. - Audit this service for least-privilege access and document what each key can do. - Create an environment variable map and a secure .env template for this project. - Set up credential separation for dev versus prod with clear audit trails.

• DO NOT USE WHEN…

- You want to obtain keys without authorization or bypass security controls. - You need legal/compliance sign-off (this outputs technical documentation, not legal advice).

INPUTS

• REQUIRED:

- List of integrations/APIs and where credentials are currently stored/used. - Deployment context (local dev, server, container, n8n, etc.).

• OPTIONAL:

- Current config files/redacted snippets (.env, compose, systemd, n8n creds list). - Org rules (rotation intervals, secret manager preference).

• EXAMPLES:

- “Keys are hard-coded in a Node script and an n8n HTTP Request node.” - “We have dev and prod n8n instances and need separation.”

OUTPUTS

• Credential map (service → env vars → scopes/permissions → owner → rotation cadence).
• Rotation runbook (steps + rollback).
• Least-privilege checklist and audit log plan.
• Optional: .env template (placeholders only).

Success = no secrets committed or embedded, permissions minimized, rotation steps documented, and auditability defined.

WORKFLOW

Inventory credentials:

- where stored, where used, and who owns them.

Define separation:

- dev vs prod; human vs service accounts; per-integration boundaries.

Move secrets to env vars / secret manager references:

- create an env var map and update config plan (no raw keys in code/workflows).

Least privilege:

- for each API, enumerate required actions and reduce scopes/roles accordingly.

Rotation plan:

- dual-key overlap if supported; steps to rotate with minimal downtime; rollback.

Auditability:

- define what events are logged (auth failures, token refresh, key use where available).

STOP AND ASK THE USER if:

- required operations are unknown, - secret injection method is unclear, - rotation cadence/owners are unspecified.

OUTPUT FORMAT

Credential map template:

CREDENTIAL MAP
- Integration: <name>
  - Env vars:
    - <VAR_NAME>: <purpose> (secret/non-secret)
  - Permissions/scopes: <list>
  - Used by: <service/workflow>
  - Storage: <secret manager/env var>
  - Rotation: <cadence> | <owner> | <procedure>
  - Audit: <what is logged and where>

If providing a template, output assets/dotenv-template.example with placeholders only.

SAFETY & EDGE CASES

• Never output real secrets, tokens, or private keys. Use placeholders.
• Read-only by default; propose changes as a plan unless explicitly asked to modify files.
• Avoid over-broad scopes/roles unless justified by a documented requirement.

EXAMPLES

• Input: “n8n HTTP nodes contain API keys.”

Output: Env var map + plan to move to n8n credentials/env vars + rotation runbook.

• Input: “Need dev vs prod separation.”

Output: Two env maps + naming scheme + access boundary checklist.